Mass Audubon Free Family Fun at Duxbury Beach Summer 2020
Thanks to support from the Duxbury Beach Reservation, Inc., Mass Audubon will be offering free programs on Saturdays in July and August from 9:30-11 am every week
Important Changes for Summer 2020: Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, advance registration is required for every program and limited to 9 participants per session. Registration opens each Monday for the following week’s programs. Preregistration can be completed online at www.massaudubon.org/northriverprograms or by calling 781-837-9400. Participants must agree to sign in as you arrive; wear face coverings or masks at all times; maintain a safe social distance of 6 feet from each other (12 feet between groups) during the program and when entering and exiting the beach; and gather in groups of no more than 10 people at one time. Noncompliance will result in ejection from the program.
Participants may park in the parking lot behind the Harbormaster’s shed on the east end (ocean side) of Powder Point Bridge for the duration of the program. Mass Audubon is grateful for the generosity of the Duxbury Beach Reservation Inc for funding this annual series and for their service and dedication to protecting the critical resource we know as Duxbury Beach. We also thank the Duxbury Police Department Beach Operations Division.
JULY 2020
Tuesday, July 7 – Kelp, Crispus, & Other Alga [All Ages]
Walk a stretch of the beach between the road and tideline, with guide books in hand, we will challenge ourselves to identify twenty species of plants or algae that thrive in the seashore community.
Thursday, July 9 – Mudflat Limbo [All Ages]
Explore the mudflats searching for mollusks, crabs and other creatures. Wear your boots because you are bound to get muddy!
Saturday, July 11 – Get Crabby [All Ages]
There are 4,500 species of crabs that ply the world’s oceans, explore the several species that make Duxbury Bay home. Wear foot protection that can get wet please.
Tuesday, July 14 – Square Meter of Tidal Inventory [All Ages]
Work as teams to inventory a number of transects, surveying, documenting and photographing species to establish baseline data for future studies. It will be interesting to see how our findings compare to last year.
Thursday, July 16 – Compass Treasure Hunt [All Ages]
Learn how to use a compass and search for buried treasure… maybe even talk like a pirate! Bezels, meridian lines, and bearings. Arghh.
Saturday, July 18 – Sea Creature Feature: Horseshoe Crab Sand Sculptures [All Ages]
Celebrate this ancient beast as we build sand sculptures depicting both this unique creature and its fellow citizens of the beach. Bring your buckets and pails.
Tuesday, July 21 – Birding with David Ludlow [Adults]
Join David, our Friday Morning Birders Guru, as he takes a short walk in search of resident birds. Binoculars recommended.
Thursday, July 23 – Salt Marsh Ecology [All Ages]
The benefits of salt marshes more than make up for the distractions of the salt marsh mosquito and greenhead fly. We will look at all the reasons why salt marshes are essential to every critter of the sea and our ability to live in a coastal community.
Saturday, July 25 – Mollusk Mania [All Ages]
Primitive in the eyes of some but, we know better. Take the razor clam’s ability to create its own quicksand in order to escape predation as an example of the complex skills of our calcium clad friends. We will share the many specialized capacities of mollusks.
Tuesday, July 28 – Piping Plovers: Pint-Sized Dynamos [All Ages]
Join us and discover the incredible life stories of this pint-sized dynamo. We hope to get a chance to see some of these famous summer residents and hear updates on their progress.
Thursday, July 30 – Intro to Navigation [All Ages 10+]
Learn how to navigate using a compass and charts! This hour and a half session will convince you to put your GPS back in the box.
AUGUST 2020
Saturday, August 1 – Beachscape Collaborative Mural with Marcia Ballou [All Ages 10+]
Join the very celebrated artist Marcia Ballou at her canvas as she invites you to add your talents to a piece illustrating the bounty of the beach. Previous sessions have always been highlights of the summer.
Tuesday, August 4 – The ABCs of Tides [All Ages 8+]
Learn how and why we have tides and why coastal living is so connected to them. The moon, the sun… it gets so confusing, we will break it down and supply the tide charts.
Thursday, August 6 – Barrier Beaches [All Ages 8+]
Duxbury Beach is the classic barrier beach, stalwart but fluid protector from winter storms, a geological marvel subject to both positive and negative influence by humans. We will consider the importance of this celebrated resource.
Saturday, August 8 – Mud Flat Limbo [All Ages]
Explore the mudflats searching for mollusks, crabs and other creatures. Wear your boots because you are bound to get muddy!
Tuesday, August 11 – Salt Marsh Ecology [All Ages 8+]
The benefits of salt marshes more than make up for the distractions of the salt marsh mosquito and greenhead fly. We will look at all the reasons why salt marshes are essential to every critter of the sea and our ability to live in a coastal community.
Thursday, August 13 – Seashore Literacy [All Ages 10+]
Reading passages from authors like Carson and Thoreau that celebrate beach ecology will inspire us to continue visiting Duxbury Beach throughout all four seasons.
Saturday, August 15 – Shorebirds Rule! with Tim O’Neil [All Ages 8+]
Learn how shorebirds all eat at the same table and compete with each other for the shoreline’s bounty. Explore the special adaptations shorebird species have developed to get their fill.
Tuesday, August 18 – Birding with Sue MacCallum [Adults]
Join South Shore Sanctuaries Director Sue MacCallum scoping out the resident birds of Duxbury Beach’s diverse habitats. Binoculars are strongly recommended.
Thursday, August 20 – Walking the Wrack Line [All Ages 8+]
The wrack line is the graveyard of the oceans. Many of the sea’s creatures are cast up on the beach after they die. Explore the life of the sea and remains on the beach.
Saturday, August 22 – Beachside Predator-Prey [All Ages 6+]
It’s a crab eat crab world out there, if you choose to live in the flats, you have to be ready for spats. Through a few games we will study the food chain of Duxbury Bay.
Tuesday, August 25 – Beach Style Botany [All Ages 8+]
Walk a stretch of the beach between the road and tideline, with guide books in hand, we will challenge ourselves to identify twenty species of plants or algae that thrive in the seashore community.
Thursday, August 27 – Square Meter of Tidal Inventory [All Ages 8+]
Work as teams to inventory a number of transects, surveying, documenting and photographing species to establish baseline data for future studies. It will be interesting to see how our findings compare to last year.
Saturday, August 29 – Kites & the Science of Flight [All Ages 6+]
Build simple kites as we explore the science of flight. What are the remarkable adaptations birds have developed in order to take flight?